 traditional approaches to smoking cessation. It highlights the increasing evidence supporting alternative methods, such as the use of vaporizers and heated tobacco products, which are being touted as less harmful options for those looking to quit smoking. The piece underscores the tension between longstanding public health policies and the evolving landscape of tobacco harm reduction strategies, suggesting that a reevaluation of WHO recommendations may be necessary to align with the latest scientific findings and global trends towards embracing harm reduction as a viable pathway to reducing smoking rates.){kind=link}
“Sensible Strategies Surpass Failed WHO Recommendations.” This statement is the conclusion of the Sixth Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction, organized by the International Association for Tobacco Control and Harm Reduction, held last September in Athens, Greece.
At the International Association for Smoking Control and Harm Reduction (SCOHRE) event, public health experts highlighted that strategies offering less harmful alternatives to cigarettes are far more effective in reducing tobacco use than the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) recommendations. These recommendations propose banning such alternatives while cigarettes remain widely available.
The summit was held as FCTC member countries were preparing for the tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) in Panama (in February 2024), to discuss the WHO’s recommendations to ban “new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products,” such as vaporizers, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches, or regulate them the same as cigarettes.
One of the panelists, Dr. Lorenzo Mata, president of Quit for Good, a non-profit organization promoting harm reduction in the Philippines, emphasized the importance of countries with experience in regulating these new products to continue advocating for science to guide policies.
Dr. Fernando Fernández Bueno, a Spanish physician, echoed Dr. Mata’s words, stressing that the debate on tobacco control should be based on scientific arguments and clinical data, moving away from subjective opinions and emotional responses. He said, “This is the only way to progress in the fight against tobacco.”
Professor Andrzej Fal, president of the Polish Public Health Society, warned about the steady growth of health expenses in his keynote speech and highlighted that prevention is the most effective way to invest in future health. He proposed increasing funding for primordial prevention and introducing a regulation of “less harm, fewer taxes.”
Meanwhile, Professor David Sweanor from the University of Ottawa criticized the FCTC and WHO for not recognizing the merits of using less harmful tobacco and nicotine products. Sweanor pointed out that the lack of action has resulted in a continuing slaughter of unnecessary deaths and diseases. “To do nothing is to continue this slaughter: unnecessary death and disease. We also see government bodies and the UN destroying their credibility. When we lose public trust, it affects us in a much wider range of issues than just tobacco and nicotine,” he said.
“People buy cigarettes every day; every day, we have the opportunity to intervene by offering a product that is much less dangerous, does not harm those around you, and is less addictive, and we can make sure it is more widely available than cigarettes, at a lower price than cigarettes, with more accurate information about relative risk,” added Professor Sweanor.
Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, a Greek physician and researcher, presented data showing that countries supporting less harmful products now have the world’s lowest smoking rates. He cited Japan as an example, where half of the cigarette market disappeared in the last seven years thanks to the emergence of viable alternatives like heated tobacco products (HTP).
Finally, Dr. Mata highlighted that the FCTC’s tobacco control strategies are failing globally. In response, different countries have adopted policies to offer less harmful products to smokers. Mata cited the case of the Philippines, which enacted Republic Act 11900, known as the Vape Law, intending to regulate vapor products and heated tobacco to promote a healthy environment and protect its citizens. “The use of safer nicotine products offers new options to millions of people worldwide who want to move away from smoking or other dangerous forms of tobacco consumption,” he said.
With all these voices resonating at the event, it’s clear that it’s essential to reevaluate current strategies and seek more effective, science-based alternatives to combat tobacco use globally. “The Philippines’ response has been to enact Republic Act 11900, the Vape Law.
At the heart of the Vape Law is the goal of regulating vapor products and heated tobacco products to promote a healthy environment, protect its citizens, and reduce the harm caused by smoking,” said Dr. Mata. He added that “by offering safer pathways, we have allowed smokers to make better decisions for themselves, which is exactly what the WHO and the FCTC should be doing,” he concluded.
